One of my favorite things about cooking on the farm is being able to walk into the garden and decide what’s for dinner. This stir-fry came together on a cool early Fall evening when the asparagus and peppers were ready to pick, along with some ripe passionfruit. The mix of sweet honey, bright lemon, and tangy passionfruit gives the shrimp such a fresh, lively flavor. It’s quick to make, full of color, and perfect over a bowl of rice.

Ingredients

• 1 lb shrimp, cut in half
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 bunch asparagus (from the Stepladder garden), chopped
• 2–3 sweet bell peppers (from the Stepladder garden), chopped
• 1 spicy chili (we used a Lucento chili from the Stepladder garden), chopped
• ¼ cup Stepladder honey
• Juice of 1 lemon (divided)
• 1 passionfruit (from Stepladder), pulp scooped out
• 5 Sichuan peppercorns, ground
• 3 tbsp ground ginger (fresh if available)
• ⅓ cup soy sauce
• Oil for cooking

Instructions

1. Make the sauce: In a bowl, whisk together honey, soy sauce, half the lemon juice, passionfruit pulp, ground Sichuan peppercorns, ginger, and half of the chopped chili. Set aside.
2. Prep the pan: Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Add oil.
3. Cook the veggies: Add the onion and cook until browned, then remove from the pan. Add the sweet bell peppers and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes. Add the asparagus and cook briefly, then remove all the vegetables from the pan.
4. Cook the shrimp: Add shrimp to the hot pan and cook for about 1 minute. Stir in a few tablespoons of the sauce and cook for 1 minute more.
5. Bring it together: Return the vegetables to the pan. Pour in the remaining sauce and stir-fry everything together for another 2–3 minutes on high heat.
6. Serve: Plate the stir-fry with a serving of rice and top with the remaining lemon juice.